Stapling devices



Jan. 12, 1960 H. HARRIS STAPLING DEVICES Filed July 15, 1958 IN V EN TOR,

U i ed ates Pat v The present invention relates to a stapling apparatus and is applicable to all types of staplers. Though I have chosen the plier type to illustrate one of its adaptations, it is equally applicable to other hand-operated,

' foot-pedal operated and power-operated stapling devices.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved stapling device for attaching one leg of a staple to a string loop carrying a tag, and the other leg to an item of merchandise which is of a material through which a staple leg can be forced.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved stapling device of the character mentioned, affording means to properly locate and hold the string on the anvil so that when the staple is applied, one leg of the staple will encircle and form a loop or eye around the string, and also affording means to properly locate the article of merchandise, as for instance a part of a garment which will simultaneously receive the other staple leg therethrough and become engaged thereto.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel and. improved stapling device having the attributes set forth, which is simple in construction, easy to use, positive in action and efiicient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed, as well as reasonable in cost and in many instances can be incorporated in existing stapling apparatus. Another important object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved device of the nature described, which will attach a string carrying a tag, to an article of merchandise, by using a staple to link them, and as an incident of such joint structure, should the staple be tampered with, it will break. This, in effect, is like the breaking of a seal. Stapling tools and apparatus embodying this invention are therefore useful in establishments operating on the merchandising plan that goods which have the ticket attached, may be returned by the customer for credit or refund.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as their disclosure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, one form it may assume, is to have the anvil of a stapling device provided with means which will locate and hold the string across one of the staple-leg bending dies so that the staple leg acted on by such die, is perpendicular to the string so positioned, and to have such anvil provided with means to locate and support a garments sleeve for instance, across the other staple leg-bending die. Said dies shall be fashioned so that each staple leg upon actuation of the stapler, will be formed into a closed substantially circular eye. To aid this, the distal ends of the staples used, should be formed somewhat convergent. The anvil body shall have lateral extensions in both directions in the line of the staples length so that the anvil and such extensions thereof shall as a unit be the top bar of a T-form which it makes with the frame of the stapler, thus forming a crotch at each side of the stapler. One of these crotches, in association with proper notches, serves as the string-locating PatentedJan 12, 19 60 means. Blade spring holding fingers may also be included for such purpose as will be shown. The other of said crotches serves asthe means to locate the garment sleeve in proper position. p e

Where the use of the joint is to serve as a seal, the

- staples are preformed with either weakened corners: or

they are made of a material weak enough so that upon a'second bend, they would break.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. 1 is a pictorial view showingthe work which my novel and improved stapling device does.

Fig. 2 is a elevational view of the staple; used. Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing a fragment of the stapling device, particularly the anvil portion thereof which is constructed in accordance, with the teachings of this invention and is'a preferred embodiment thereof.

Fig. 4 is a section taken at lines 4-4 in-Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is' a section taken at lines 5-5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the anvil which is a modified construction and another preferred embodiment thereof.

Fig. 7 is a pictorial view showing how the items to be linked by a staple, are mounted on the anvil pre- 1 paratory to operating the stapler; only a fragment'of the stapler being shown.

Fig. 8 is an elevational view of. a plier-type stapling device embodying the teachings of this invention.

In the drawing, the numeral 15 designates generally a a hand-operated, plier-type stapling device whose beam 16 at its forward end, has an anvil denoted generally by the numeral 17 provided with the staple-leg bending dies 18, 19 which are spaced, elongated, aligned sockets, one positioned to each side of the center line C of the beam. This anvil has a lateral extension at each side of the beam 16, which are denoted by; the numerals 20 and 21 respectively. The side edges of said beam taper towards said anvil so that the vertex of the crotch 22 is between the ends of the socket 18 on line A, and so that the vertex of the crotch 23 is between the ends of the socket 19 on line B; said lines being parallel to the nearest the extension 21, should be at least equal to the thickness of a leg of said staple plus the thickness of the cord 25 which is formed in a loop and carries the marking tag 26, and may be slightly in excess thereof, just so that the eye or ring 34 formed-of the staple leg encircles such string when the staple is applied by the device 15. To properly locate the string or cord 25 on the anvil, the notches 27, 28 may be provided as well as the blade spring fingers 29, 30 to hold such cord in place as shown in Fig. 7, or the anvil may merely have the notches 31, 32 for such purposes. It is preferred that the notches 31, 32 shall hold the string in frictional ready to be operated, while with the other hand, the

garment component 33 is laid so that an edge thereof or one formed by a fold therein, straddles the anvil across the die socket 18 and lies in the vertex of the crotch 22, and such second hand is then applied to pinch all the plies of articles 33 immediately below the anvil 17 so that such article remains in its setposition. Now the appliance is operated to apply the staple 24, whereupon one leg thereof will be formed into the small closed 'eye 34 encircling the string and the other staple leg will be pierced through the article 33 where applied and be formed into the small closed eye 35 to engage said article. The staple, of course, remains intact.

When it is desired that the joint assembly shall be in the nature of a seal, which breaks when the staple in Fig. l is tampered with to remove it from the applied article 33, or to open any one of its terminal eyes, I provide weakened points at 24 in the staple stock or make the staple of a material so weak or brittle, that a second bend attempted in any already bent point, would cause the staple to break. It may here be noted that the lacing of the string 25 through a hole in the tag 26, is a costly operation which can be avoided by the use of my present device to attach a knotted string loop 25 to a tag by means of a staple 24 in the same manner as item 33 is associated to the string loop in Fig. 1. Here too, the staple used may be one that breaks upon a second bend attempted in an already bent region.

The convergence of the longitudinal side edge of the beam towards line C at the region of the beam immediately abutting the anvil, to form the crotch 22, serves to better hold the garment part 33 straddled on the anvil extension 20.

The linked arrangement shown in Fig. 1 is of course applicable to all types of items or objects in place of 33 on which a stapler could operate, and the apparatus therefor, as mentioned, though shown in a tool embodiment which is of the type held-in-hand, may be any stapling apparatus which is hand-operated, foot-operated or power operated, since the only change in all existing stapling devices would be in the anvil, in the nature herein taught. It would be advisable to make a new anvil in accordance with this invention for installation in present stapling devices and the die sockets 18, 19 should preferably be fashioned to effect a substantially round, close eye as illustrated in Fig. 1.

In stapling devices which stand on a table or are secured thereto, the beam 16 serves as their base, and it is suggested that in such instances it is preferable that the space below the anvil and its extensions 21, 20 or below the fragment of structure shown in Fig. 6, shall be unobstructed to facilitate mounting thereon the articles to be joined by the staple 24.

This invention is capable of various forms and applications without departing from the essential features here in disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiments herein shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with a stapling device of the type including an anvil having two spaced die sockets for respectively receiving the legs of a staple and forming each of the staple legs into an eye upon operation of the device, of means for locating a string on the anvil in a position across one of said die sockets and means for locating an object to be stapled on said anvil with an edge thereof across the other die socket, whereby the eyes formed in the staple will encircle the string and said object.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the string-locating means comprises notches in the anvil; the first die socket being intermediate said notches.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the string-locating means comprises two blade spring means on the anvil for releasably clamping the string across the anvil; the first die socket being intermediate said spring means.

4. In combination with a stapling device of the type including an anvil which has two spaced die sockets for respectively receiving the legs of a staple to clinch each of the staple legs into an eye upon operation of the device, of two lateral extensions on said anvil, one at each side thereof, each such extensions forming a crotch with said anvil respectively; the vertex of one of said crotches being adjacent one of said die sockets; the vertex of the second of said crotches being adjacent the other of said die sockets and means for locating a string on one of the anvil extensions across a die socket and along the vertex of the adjacent crotch.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the string-locating means comprises notches in one of said anvil extensions; the first die socket being intermediate said notches.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the string-locating means comprises two blade spring means on the anvil for releasably clamping the string across the anvil; the first die socket being intermediate said curing means.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein the longitudinal side faces of the anvil diverge rearwardly from the extensions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

